


Will of Steel

by IsobelSionisFalcone



Series: Daughter of Steel [2]
Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Hailey wants a life, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-04
Updated: 2017-10-04
Packaged: 2019-01-09 03:53:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12268341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IsobelSionisFalcone/pseuds/IsobelSionisFalcone
Summary: Hailey wants to train to become a real Brotherhood soldier.





	Will of Steel

"Careful you don't burn through your fingers, kiddo,"

Hailey removed her finger from the switch on the blowtorch and regained her focus once more. "Sorry, Proctor," she said. She'd been helping Ingram repair the power armour stands after Scribe Neriah's mole-rats got loose. 'Little bastards chewed right through the brackets' the chief engineer had said, and so Hailey had offered to help out.

"What's eating you this morning?" Ingram asked, stripping a frayed wire. "You have an argument with your Dad?"

Hailey sighed. "No. I'm just fed up of being cooped up all the time. Dad won't let me do anything."

"I thought you went to a party a few weeks ago," the Proctor said. "You got punched in the face, if I recall correctly."

The teenager grimaced. She was still having to take a daily does of painkillers, not to mention the awful bruising...

"If the Squires can go on escorted missions, why can't I?" She asked. "I know how to use a laser pistol."

"Have you asked the Elder if you can go?" Ingram inquired.

"Yes..." she muttered, pulling up her welding visor. "Any time I ask him something like that, he always says 'when you're older'. I hate it. It's so... unspecific," she explained. "And it's the same answer for everything; can I go on a mission? 'When you're older, sweetheart.' Can I wear power armour? 'When you're older, honey.' Can I have a Gatling Laser? 'When you're older, Hailey.' Ugh!" She growled in frustration. "I can't do anything!"

Ingram paused and placed her plyers on the workbench. "Okay, so maybe it's not the best time to let you loose with a Gatling..." she said. "But as soon as you pass the level three physical, I can let you have a suit of T-60."

Hailey frowned in disappointment. She'd only passed level one...

Then, she had a thought. It hit her harder than a Supermutant board and her eyes widened as a plan began to take shape in her mind. What was stopping her from passing level three? What was stopping her from achieving her best? It was with an ounce of regret she realised it was only herself.

Suddenly, Hailey leapt up from the floor and threw off her visor, heading for her quarters at breakneck speed. "Hey! Where do you think you're going?" Ingram called. "These stands aren't going to fix themselves!"

"I know, I'll be back in a sec!" Hailey cried. "I need to give myself a pep talk!"

It was with a raised eyebrow that the Proctor watched her disappear down the corridor. She wondered if what she'd inspired in the teenage girl would be for better or for worse. With a chuckle, she returned her attention to her work. How bad could it be? It wasn't as if a little motivation would do her any harm.

In her bathroom, Hailey splashed cold water on her face and scowled sternly into the mirror. She gripped the sides of the sink, huffed a short sigh and glared at her reflection.

"The only person standing in your way is you," she said, jabbing a finger at the glass. "If you want to be treated like an adult, you've got to act like one. So that's it. No more whining, no more stupid parties and no more bending over backwards to keep your friends. If they can't accept who you are, then you don't need them," she told herself firmly. "From now on, you're going to dedicate your existence to the Brotherhood." She raised her fist over her chest in the Brotherhood salute. "You are focused. You are dedicated. You are serious. No more excuses. It's time to start your life as a Brotherhood soldier." She snapped her heels together and sucked in a breath. "Ad Victorium, sister!"

Hailey marched out of her room and back to the armour bay, sitting cross legged next to the armour stand and picking up her tools once more. She began the repairs with renewed determination. She had made her decision and for once, she was going to stick to it, no matter what.

***

Later that evening, Danse, Arthur and Hailey sat at the table for dinner. She chewed her Brahmin steak thoughtfully, eyes glued to the table as she planned her training regime. She knew that going to drills every morning would be the very least she needed to do. It would mean going out of her way to improve her stamina, strength and skill. She knew she wouldn't like it. She knew she'd be exhausted, but she still wanted to do it. It was the start of her new life. Hailey knew she just needed to stick to the plan.

"You're quiet, Hailey," Danse commented. "Is anything the matter?"

She leaned back in her chair, the same frown pulling her eyebrows together, and said; "I've decided that I'm going to be a lot more mature from now on..."

"Hailey, we've talked about this," Arthur said sternly. "I don't want you bringing boys back to your room-"

"Dad!" Hailey cried. "That's not what this is about. None of that matters anymore, anyway. I've decided relationships are only going to give me baggage and slow me down - no offence."

Danse spoke over Arthur's audible sigh of relief. "If this isn't about getting a boyfriend... then what is it about?"

She leaned forward and placed her elbows on the table, linking her fingers together (very much like Arthur did during the Proctor's meetings). "I'm tired of dressing a certain way and caking on make-up just to appease people who don't care about me. I'm done with that. The people who stick by me will be my real friends and I'll know who they are the minute I go to Diamond City in my Uniform."

"The uniform that you don't yet have..." the Elder said.

"I will have it," Hailey said determinedly. "I'm going to earn it. I know you don't believe me," she said before he interrupt. "I know you think that I'll go to one training session and give up. I won't. I'll prove it. I'll prove myself, not for you guys or for anyone else, but for me."

There was a pause as Arthur cleared his throat and gathered up the last of the meat on his fork. "How much of that monologue did Ingram write for you?"

"That doesn't matter," she replied quickly. "I'm serious about this. You have no valid reason to stop me from trying. I'm in a safe environment here, so it's not as if I'm going to get hurt during the drills."

"Let's ignore the fact that I can see you tearing a muscle after the first session," Arthur began. "Imagine you go through with this-"

"I'm going to."

"If you do," he continued. "What exactly are you going to do after you pass the physical, because we all know the only reason you've decided to do this is because you want a suit of power armour."

"No, that's not..."

"You're too young to be awarded the rank of Initiate. You're at an awkward stage where you're older and, presumably, more capable than most of the Squires, but not quite old enough to go out on missions," Maxson said. "So I don't know where you'd go from passing the physical at this stage. Danse?" The Paladin looked up from his meal, albeit nervously. He hated getting involved in these arguments. "Is there anything you'd like to add, dear?"

Danse sighed and placed his cutlery down, thinking about forming the most tactful response. "I don't see why, if Hailey really is committed to this, she shouldn't do it..."

"Ha!" The teenager cried in triumph. "See? Dad believes in me."

"However..." Danse continued and her face fell. "You need to remember that this isn't the sort of thing you can do overnight. It's a lot easier than you'd think to overwork yourself and I'd know because I've done it. I think that this is an opportunity for you to gain a little more confidence in your abilities and in yourself, but I'd rather you take it one small step at a time. The three years you've got until you're eighteen give you the chance to sharpen your skills properly and under trained supervision."

"Tell me there's a conclusion to this essay..." Hailey muttered.

"In short, small steps," the Paladin said. "We're pleased that you want to start living your own life within the Brotherhood - aren't we, Arthur?"

The Elder's electric blue eyes flicked from his lover to his daughter, noting Danse's stern and expectant expression, then Hailey's desperate one. "Yes," he said eventually with a long sigh. "I'm just trying to fathom why you've changed your mind so suddenly. Yesterday, all you wanted to do was go shopping with your friends. Now, you want to leave all of that behind to start training?"

"I don't want to lead such a shallow existence, anymore," she told them. "I'm taking this seriously. I know you think I'm bluffing, but that's not my problem. I'm going to prove you wrong and I'm going to do this."

Arthur studied her face, lips set in a firm line and brows low over her eyes as they bored into his own. She was serious now, but he wondered how long it would last. He supposed the only thing he could do was wait and see. He was more than confident he'd have his cake and eat it this time, but he'd let her try. There was the hope that something good may come of it.


End file.
